I just found out that I am a non secretor. I just read a brief piece on the benefits of being a secretor. There doesn't seem to be ANY benefit for nonnies. Are there any? I have all the bad traits. Problems with cavities, abdominal weight gain, digestive issues ( all my life). So far I don't have any heart problems but my grandfather did.

The only plus I saw was alcohol seems to help with the lungs and heart when used in moderation.

IMO, one of the biggest benefits to being a nonnie is the added sensitivity. You're more likely to get immediate reactions to toxins- be they foods or environmental chemicals, so you're more motivated to get those toxins OUT of your body ASAP. As a result, you're probably less likely to have problems from toxins that built up over time. Some poisins are very subtle, causing few immediate reactions but plenty of long-term damage. By having heightened immediate reactions, you're able to identify the problems and minimize or avoid them.

When I first found out I was a non-secretor, I was very surprised and couldn't believe it. Then a wave of relief came over me and everything in my whole life suddenly made sense. I now understood that my differences were real and that they were okay. I no longer had to try to be like everybody else! What a relief!!! And, I didn't lose any friends or family over it. They liked my being a happier person. A Nonnie does have limitations but I think the increased sensitivities we have are a plus. They are a protective asset that most people don't have. I became stronger following the nonnie diet.

The next big step would be identifying my Genotype correctly. That is another story.Here's to the Health and Happiness of all Nonnies

[quote=4882]IMO, one of the biggest benefits to being a nonnie is the added sensitivity. You're more likely to get immediate reactions to toxins- be they foods or environmental chemicals, so you're more motivated to get those toxins OUT of your body ASAP.

I think this is what is good about being a slow acetylator (liver processing) too!

I too was dismayed when I found out that I was a nonnie. After the shock wore off I realized that by following ERFYT I could minimize and even prevent a lot of the known non secretor issues. Another thing that happened was I found out there were many more people "just like me" when it came to certain "behaviors", likes and dislikes. Read the "you might be a nonnie if..." thread and you'll see.

Be who you are. Those who mind don't matter, those who matter won't mind.

That's a plus! I do seem to not catch every little virus that runs it's course through my neck of the woods. And if I do catch it, it seems to be less damaging than other peoples experiences.

Rarely miss a day at work, perhaps two days in the last ten years...even then I could have come in if pressed. My wife and I will be exposed to the same bug, I will lie down for 1-3 hours, get up and the symptoms will be gone. She will be sick for 10-14 days. She is not a nonnie, I am!

"I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now" - Bob Dylan

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts." - Mark Twain

I too get almost never sick. I haven't had anything with a fever in 20 years and even then the last incidences of actual sickness were Malaria three times, which doesn't really count because it's not an infectious disease. I never had a real flu and don't get flu shots either. Occasionally I get a cold in winter, but it's usually slight and passes quickly.I also had an appendectomy and tonsillectomy as a childWhen I ran swami and later changed it to nonnie, I got several foods back that I would have really missed otherwise, so that is good

i agree with the "rarely get sick thing"...I haven't had the flu ever, and only a few colds. my sick days are usually because of weather induced migraines.

I know that excellent blood clotting is a nonnie benefit.

The sensitivity i used to think was a negative, but i now realize it's a positive. There is so much joy to be found in the simple pleasures of touch, taste, sight, sound and smell... that once you get past the problem areas, you realize how lucky you are to be able to experience the minute details in life, things that most people never even know is there.

I think, too, that nonnies are generally in better touch with their bodies... and i don't just mean knowing what is making them out of balance, but knowing what is putting them into balance too, and knowing what feels good (whether it's a loving touch, yoga, running, sex, a phone call from a dear friend, a well prepared meal, etc)

I also think nonnies are more creative / resourseful than average and have a better than average ability at self reflection and recognizing what is out of balance and then being able to correct it.

Lastly, it seems nonnies have a definable intuition... a sixth sense if you will, or ESP, or whatever you want to call it. Nonnies just seem "to know" when something is wrong, when someone needs something, when someone is thinking about them and even in the extreme cases of knowing when someone gets hurt or dies.